How to hem a skirt or dress

After all the work and effort has been put into cutting out and sewing your new dress or skirt, the final part of the sewing process is to hem your garment. This is a crucial stage as it finishes your piece. Don’t be tempted to rush it, and be sure to choose the best hemming method for the material used.

Use this handy guide to get to know the basic steps involved in hemming a skirt or dress.

1. Gather the equipment and items needed

These generally include thread that matches the fabric used, pins, a sewing machine with blind stitch hem and presser feet if you won’t be stitching by hand, suitable scissors, dressmaker’s chalk, an iron and an ironing board.

Items made from heavier or formal fabrics suit blind-stitched hems. With your machine, simply use the correct foot and fold your fabric twice, first at the place to be stitched, and the second around a quarter inch from the edge. Garments that fall to the knee usually look better with hand-sewn, blind-stitched hems.